The New Page
by Crimson613
Summary: [100 Theme Challenge Part 1/40] Naruto is now the new youth services page at his local library. Unfortunately for him the current page is none other than Sasuke, a guy who believes everyone is worthless, especially a certain orange clad personnel. Not one to take challenges lightly, Naruto plans to prove the raven wrong in his assumptions of his idiocy and worthlessness.
1. Introduction

Naruto bowed his head, his hands wrung together nervously, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, very nice to meet you!"

It was his second day on the job and for some reason today felt scarier than yesterday. The day before, he had received an orientation outlining the dress code and his schedule, both just a review from his interview. Then he had been given the library policy, a direct deposit permission slip, a daily assignment and sign in sheet, and a paper stating he had received all the above information. He had signed it dutifully before he was taken out to work, a cart of books ready to be filed. It had seemed intimidating at the time, since his instructions had been given out a week and a half before, during his first interview.

He turned towards the youth services head Sakura Haruno, a slightly older woman, perhaps in her thirties, with bubblegum pink hair, green eyes, and soft skin. Her hair was held in a bun atop her head, a pair of gold earrings dangling a few centimeters from her ears, lip gloss on her pouty lips, "It was by the author's last name, right?"

The woman smiled at him warmly and nodded, pointing at the red slips sticking out of select books, "Yeah, you can sort them on the cart first if you want. I'll check over them but basically that's all. Once you've sorted them on here you can inter file them on the shelves, the red tags will be a guide for us. I'll have the other page look at them, to check and see if they're right. I also put in some toddler books; those also go by last name. Lastly, if you're ever in doubt just ask me, or..."

She opened one of the books and pointed to one of the corners, the one near the spine, "This here tells you where the books go, it's usually the latest entry, like this one would go in the holiday section, under Valentine's Day."

Naruto nodded, grinning at the easy job, "Alright!"

He had gotten all of his books straightened out correctly and in record time. Unfortunately, he hadn't met the new page. It seemed like something happened and he called off.

When he had walked in to work today, however, he had noticed an extra coat in the break room, an extra lunch in the refrigerator, and had noticed that the cubicle next to him was now void of papers. I guess the other page came in...

He looked at the cubicle's name tag but couldn't quite read it, "Sa...su...ke? Zuke-eh? What kind of name is that...?"

He shrugged and headed over to the front desk of the youth services department. Sakura was on the phone and motioned him over. She whispered, "Give me a minute, huh? No, no. Yes, what's the child's name? Mmm, yes, now we do recommend that the child be in five minutes before the program begins, just to get them settled down."

A few more incoherent sounds and Sakura was off the phone, "Hey Naruto."

Ginning Naruto answered with enthusiasm, "Boss lady! So, what's on today's agenda? More sorting? Red tags? Bring it on! Naruto Uzamaki never backs away from a challenge!"

"Well, because you're new to the library, we'll be going around introducing you. It'll also give me the chance to give you the layout of the library. Come," she commanded, chuckling at Naruto's behavior. If he was like this all the time she couldn't help but be curious once he met their coworkers.

They both left the small threshold labeled as the Youth Services.

"For starters," Sakura began, her hands moving as she pointed at each section of the library, starting off with the left side, "the majority of the library is dedicated for older readers, usually casual, not so much university level. So here we have fiction books for adults. I won't tell you about their sorting methods since you won't be working out here, don't want to confuse you."

She pointed to the small row of shelves at the center of the library, "Out here we have some African American literature, encyclopedias, romance novels, sci-fi, fantasy, and the beginning of the young adult's section. The rest of the books go around in an arc, lining the wall here and circling over by the back wall."

Naruto nodded, knowing most of the sections already. The library was quite large and consisted of youth services and adult services (that he was aware of). Most of the library could be considered 'adult' while 'youths' (children) were kept in the back, where he would now be working. When entering the library patrons would find a single shelf of new books a few feet away with four computers. The circulation desk was right up front as well, to the right and behind the desk there were offices, the library ground was split into three parts. The closest section to the library was the adult services, next was the lounge area, and lastly was the section Sakura had just mentioned. Going further into the library was where patrons would usually find the neat rows of shelves, typical library style.

"This office here," Sakura motioned to an office between the young adult books, "has the tech-support people. They take care of the technical aspects of the books, like keeping them in the system, replacing them when they're damaged or too old. When we get new books, they come here first, etc."

Half-paying attention, Naruto couldn't help but sneak a peek at the manga section, sighing as he noticed that the second volume of Attack on Titan was still not there! Not only the second, but the third as well. Perhaps he would need to go request it. It had been almost two weeks since he had checked and the book had yet to come back.

He met the people in circulation. He was able to catch a few names. Hinata was one of the pages in that section, as well as Kiba, a brunette who merrily shook his hand and patted his back. There had also been some guy named Shikamaru and a Sai. He was sure they were more the paperwork-people than actual on-the-floor employees. Tsunade, the director of the library, had come out to greet him before disappearing into her office, making sure to lock it. He frowned as he saw the silhouette of a sake bottle from the drawn shades. Was that even allowed?

He was sure there had been more but their names escaped him.

At adult services and technology they found three others. One was Ino who worked with tech and both Shino and Neji were both at adult services. He couldn't help but wonder if many patrons went over with questions since they both looked rather intimidating, Neji with a scowl on his face and Shino with most of his face covered. Again, he couldn't help but wonder if this was allowed.

"Well! Now you've met some of the people outside our department!" Sakura nodded as they headed back to their department, "There are many others, some who are only part-timers, others who work mornings only, but you probably won't meet them since you're working evenings. Unless they work weekends, then you may bump into them."

Naruto nodded and couldn't help but ask one more question. He had met both Tenten and Lee, both his department coworkers but he had yet to meet the other page, "So, will I be meeting the other page today?"

Sakura's eyes seemed to light up and he blinked. It almost seemed like Sakura had rejuvenated, her eyes seemed brighter and a smile tugged at her lip gloss covered lips, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about him. By the way, he's probably already checked your stuff. He's pretty quick and I'm sure he already has some stuff ready for you to do. He's the one that will be your 'trainer' so to speak, especially when Kakashi or I are busy."

Ah yes, there was also Kakashi who worked in the youths services, which was a mystery to him. He hadn't really known the man long but on their first meeting he had spotted a little orange book in the man's hands. His eye had twitched a bit too much as he recognized the series and author.

And that little question had brought back the feeling of nervousness that he had felt at the start of his shift. At least now he knew why he had felt that way.

The man standing before him (because, obviously he couldn't call him a boy!) was perfection, if that even existed. Dark midnight eyes that peered into the soul, black hair that framed a pale face, high cheekbones, a perfectly angled jaw, a body of an athlete. Naruto towered over the raven by a few inches but his mere presence commanded attention. He wore a pair of navy blue jeans with the ends slightly ripped, black and white converse, and a black shirt with white specks (which drew out a city if you looked closely enough…). His dress was very different from Naruto's, less color considering that Naruto had decided to wear an orange t-shirt with a blue vest, and white washed light blue jeans, a pair of black and white scribbled converse adorned his feet. Even his socks were more colorful than Sasuke.

"Hn," was the only response he received from his introduction.

Sakura giggled but he failed to see what was so amusing.

"Well then, now that you two have met I'll leave him to you," Sakura stated, turning on her heel, ready to go back to her office.

"I thought you said the new page was competent," Naruto couldn't help the shiver that ran through his body when this stranger spoke. His voice was deep, almost seductive without him even trying. Like velvet it caressed his spine but he couldn't help but scowl at the words that spilled from those pale and thin lips (did he mention they were also very inviting?)

"Hey!" his voice echoed slightly and a glare was directed towards him.

"This is a library idiot, keep your voice down."

"Idiot? I'm not an idiot you bastard!"

The raven sighed, "You're lucky our department is closed because of water damage otherwise I wouldn't be the only one who would want you out of here."

Naruto blushed. He had a point. If the place had been littered with children and their parents…he didn't even want to imagine that. He turned towards Sakura but instead of finding her angry or annoyed, he found an amused smirk on her angelic features. Again, were people allowed to just show their true nature like this? Was he the only one who noticed that these people were insane, and no, he wasn't including himself. He was very sane, thank you very much!

"This really the only thing you've got?"

Sakura shrugged slightly, "He was better than the other two."

"You do realize we have only a week to get this place cleaned up and ready for opening, right?"

"Very aware, which is why I chose him. He's got some book experience. I already showed you his resume and interview papers, you weren't against it then. Besides, like you said, we have one week and Lady Tsunade already ordered all the new books. We'll be getting a shipment within a day or two, so instead of arguing with me, why don't you start showing him how to sort? We need him to be quick already."

Sasuke only glared at Sakura, "You're sure? Nobody else has applied?"

Naruto, finally getting tired of being ignored butted in, "Hey, I can do it! Believe it! Don't take me lightly, I can learn what you have to dish out 1-2-3!"

A disbelieving look crossed the raven's features but Sakura continued to grin, "See? That's why I chose him. I'm sure the kids will love him."

"Hn."

"Now, go along, scurry and finish sorting the non-damaged books. Put some slips in another batch again and check them once he's done. I'll be in my office, good luck Naruto!"

Naruto nodded, waving at the pinkette. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling about all of this…

"Let's go idiot, I've already got a cart ready."

Naruto growled, "I'm not an idiot bastard."

A smirk graced the pales features, "Prove it idiot."

* * *

**A/N: **This may have more chapters. Maybe three or four, maybe more, haha! Hope you all enjoyed.  
And if anyone noticed...yes! I'm the new page at my local library, haha  
If only there was a Sasuke working there, kyaa, I'm such a masochist lol

Tell me what you think! :D


	2. Knowing How

It had been a month since Naruto had first been employed, a month since he had been left in the care of Sasuke, and one month since his competitive side had appeared, fierce as ever.

He punched in and quickly headed over to his locker, left his coat and picked up both his pen and daily errand sheet. There were pink circles on the sheet, each one showing him exactly what he had to do. Skimming through it, Naruto couldn't help but remember Sakura's words.

_Since you're new I don't expect you to finish everything on here within the month and seeing as you haven't learned some of this stuff, don't fret. Once you get comfortable, Sasuke will show you the next step. Just focus on the easy and toddler section, alright?_

He smacked his lips together.

Sasuke hadn't taught him anything new and it was starting to piss him off. But today was a new day and if he didn't learn anything new by six, which was in two hours, then he would demand to be taught something! He had to put that guy to work anyways.

Walking into the youth services department, Naruto noticed a cart ready for him, red slips placed in between some of the books already. Sasuke wasn't to be seen but he understood the command. Sighing, he quickly got to work.

Most of the books were in the easy section, between the letters J and P. Sorting them was the easy part. Shelving them was when it got tricky, especially when the authors had the same last names, _but I'm not one to give up! Besides, if Sasuke can do it, I can do it better! And in record time! _

An hour later Naruto pushed back the cart with the now three empty shelves. Now that had been quick. He was getting better as the days passed. At the desk, Sasuke stopped typing and Naruto wiped his hands on his jeans, "I'm done!"

An eyebrow twitched on the raven's face, "You really don't know the meaning of quiet, do you? Fine, let's get this over with…"

Naruto watched Sasuke walk over to the red slips and he followed. Sasuke removed one slip after another and Naruto couldn't help the smirk that was coming over his face. He knew they were keeping tabs on how many he missed and why he missed them. Last week he had only missed one, the week before also one, and before that three. _Today is the day! Take that!_

A sigh escaped the raven's mouth and Naruto found himself on the receiving end of a glare, "You idiot!"

Even as Sasuke raised his voice, it was more of a whisper, "You messed up all these books! Look, they have the same last name but the authors are all different. You ordered them by title instead of by author. You'd think such a simple task would be done without issues…seriously…sometimes Sakura has to have better judgment…"

Pale fingers pulled out the books he had gotten wrong and showed him each one. Heat enveloped Naruto's body, his ears burning the most. It was true. He had been in a hurry and forgot to check that little detail.

"Bastard, don't call me an idiot!" unlike Sasuke, Naruto's voice actually boomed in the empty department, "A…And I knew that! I was just….testing you! To see if you were actually doing your work!"

A fine brow rose, "I think you have our roles mixed up, I oversee you, now here, fix this up."

Six books were thrust into his arms and Naruto nearly stumbled. The slips were still inside and he grumbled. Sasuke still stood there, hovering over Naruto's figure. He checked the names and couldn't help but mentally face palm. He knew how this all worked! Why had he messed up?! Shaking his head he cheered himself on, _It was just a onetime thing! _

After getting them checked, Naruto was dismissed to do some paperwork. At the end of it all, he didn't get to learn anything new. His daily sheet was still clear of any complete marks, which had to be signed by Sasuke (because he was starting up).

_Tomorrow will be different!_

And tomorrow was different. For one, both Sasuke and Naruto were assigned to the same work. They wouldn't be shelving. On the contrary, Sakura had pulled some books from the shelves and had brought in a cartful of books and told them both to start cleaning them.

Gaping, Naruto realized they were the same books he had done previously and at the top were the ones he had messed up on. Sakura smirked at him before she left.

_All my hard work…!_

"Here's a rag and a bottle of alcohol, if you run out just follow the instructions," Naruto bristled. Of course, the only way Sakura could have known was through Sasuke. Naruto knew it was his job but all those hours, for nothing?

Grumbling, he sat at a child sized desk with Sasuke at the other side of him. They began wiping at the book covers and before Naruto knew it his eyes were wandering over to the raven. Quick strokes of the rag cleared any dust that had formed and the book would be thrown into a pile. He glanced at his own and noticed they had done equal the work. He sprayed the rag some more and quickened his step.

He had to finish a shelf before Sasuke.

"Dobe…"

Three sprays would make the rag slippery enough to clean the surface and it would last him at least four books. He scrubbed and pushed the book aside.

"…dobe…"

He frowned, did that spot come off or was it permanently stained? He scrubbed a little harder and still he frowned.

"Hey…"

Perhaps it was stained. He placed it in his finished pile and continued. He peeked over towards Sasuke once more only to find the raven's face centimeters away from his face. He screeched and jumped out of his chair, bumped the table, and all the books fell to the floor.

Sasuke had risen from his chair and they both looked at the scattered books for a second.

Sasuke was the first to speak, "You really are an idiot."

Meanwhile, Naruto was still trying to piece together everything that had just happened, "It's not my fault! You…you just appeared out of nowhere!"

"I was calling you and you didn't answer."

Was that the noise he had heard briefly? The one he had ignored, thinking it was the sound of the alcohol spray bottle? The books clanging against one another?

He glared, "What? What did you want?"

Serious and monotonous as ever, Sasuke's answer left Naruto in a pit, "You were cleaning books that I had already finished. Now clean this up, I need to find Sakura and then take these to Tech. You can accomplish at least that without my help or messing things up, right?"


End file.
